Wrench.



A. E. HOLMES.

WRENCH. APPLICATION FILED 00T.17, 191` 1,1 1 7,574., Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

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ALFREDE. HOLMES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 17, 1914.

Application filed October 17, 1913. Serial No. 795,682.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALFRED E. HOLMES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Wrenches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to wrenches for use on pipes, rods, nuts, etc., and the object of the invention is to produce a wrench which shall be quick acting and at the same time possess great strength especially in the smaller parts of the wrench where failure would be most apt to occur.

Another object of the invention is to provide a ratchet feed wrench which shall be self-accommodating to objects of different sizes and shapes.

Another object of the invention is to simplify the construction of wrenches of this general character' thereby rendering the device both durable and cheap to manufacture.

I accomplish my objects by the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure l is a general perspective view of the Wrench. Fig. 2 is a side view showing the saddle in longitudinal section thereby revealing the do@ and internal construction of the wrench. bFig. 3 is a plan section on the line 3--3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the wrench. Fig. 5 is a perspective of the ratchet dog.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The fixed jaw l has a handle 2 and is provided with teeth l for gripping the work. The movable jaw 3 is provided with grippingteeth 3 and has a shank 3b provided with ratchet teeth 3 on the front. The teeth 3C of said shank cooperate with the ratchet teeth 4r of the dog l to hold the movable jaw to its work. In the best form of my invention said dog is of special construction, having a cylindrical head fl which bears in a cylindrical recess 2 formed in the fixed jaw. The dog is held in place by a pivot pin 5 mounted in the sides of the saddle 6 so as to be concentric with the recess Q. The parts, according to the best construction, are so proportioned that longitudinal thrust of the dog is borne by the external cylindrical surface of the dog instead of by the pin 5. In the best form the chief function of the pivot pin is to hold the dog seated in its bearing.

The ratchet teeth 3 and Il are so configurated as to permit the movable jaw to slide freely when being tightened upon the work and to prevent it from moving in the oppo site direction. The dog is normally held in engagement with the stem of the movable jaw by a` spring 7 which bears against the front of the dog and rests in the socket 2" formed in the back of the handle as `best shown in Fig. 2. The dog may be retracted to loosen the wrench by manipulating the ears 11 projecting laterally from the free end of the dog to a point where they may be conveniently reached by the fingers of the user.

The saddle 6 above mentioned is preferably formed of a single piece and arches over the back of the movable jaw to hold the latter normally in engagement with the dog. It is secured to the fixed jaw by rivets S or other suitable fastening devices and by preference is of approximately the same length as and located approximately over the dog.

A stop 3 is formed at the inner end of the shank of the movable 'jaw for preventing the latter from being withdrawn completely from the rest of the tool.

Under normal circumstances when the tool is at rest, the spring 7 acting upon the front of the dog de forces it into engagement with the shank 3b and forces the latter up into engagement with the inner end of the saddle as shown in full lines in Fig. 2. Under these conditions the outer end of the movable jaw seats upon the rest @c at the outer end of the fixed jaw. This rest is longitudinally remote from the axis 5 and hence 'when pressure is exerted upon the back of the movable aw for releasing it or if back pressure is exerted upon the forward end of the movable 'jaw by the work, the movable jaw and the dog rotate in unison about the axis 5 as a center and the outer end of the movable jaw moves away from the rest rc. This movement is permitted by the saddle, for the latter is larger at the outer end thus permitting free recessive movement of the outer end of the movable jaw. The movement of recession from the pable of yielding a limited amount to more firmly adjust itself to the work without yielding lengthwise of the wrench to increase 1 the stop at the inner endof the saddle when the jaw opening.

In operation, when it is desired to cause the wrench to engage a pipe, nut or other piece of work, if the jaw opening is too great all that is necessary is for the operator to press upon the head end of the movable jaw, the ratchet teeth slipping over each other until the wrench is tight to the work. The dog thereupon comes into action and prevents relative movement in the opposite direction. rl`he user then exerts downward pressure upon the handle 2whereupon the movable jaw yields to a greater or less extent depending upon the configuration of the work and the amount of pressure applied; l/Vhen it is desired to increase the jaw opening, the user simply depresses the dog, thereby disengaging the shank 3b and permitting the movable jaw to be moved outward.

direct attention to the fact that in my wrench the dog is of one piece construction and is rotatable about a point which is fixed relatively to the fixed jaw; also that the entire wrench consists of four principal parts in addition to the spring and pivot, to-wit; the two jaws, the dog and the saddle. A single spring is sufficient for the entire wrench, there being no spring upon the back of the dog notwithstanding the fact that the dog pivot is non-movable and the further fact that there is no constriction behind the back of the movable jaw (the latter being free to recede from the rest m). 1t frequently happens when using my wrench that when the wrench is under strain, the movable jaw assumes a position intermediate between the two positions shown in full and dotted lines in Fig. 2. The movable jaw engages neither the roof of the saddle nor the rest x on the fixed jaw, the strain being entirely upon the dog and transmitted by it to the outer end of the fixed jaw. This action is due to the special conguration of the parts as shown in the drawings and as pointed out in the foregoing description and accompanying claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: Y,

1. A wrench comprising a fixed jaw, a

movable jaw, a one piece dog articulately connected directly to said fixed jaw and rotatable about i'ixed point thereon, said dog and movable jaw having cooperating ratchet teeth, a saddle rigidly fastened to the fixed jaw and arching behind the baclr of' the movable jaw, said saddle being more contracted at the outer end than at the inner end and having two stops one at the outer end and one at the inner end for engaging the back of the fixed jaw, and a spring interposed between the dog and the fixed jaw and holding the movable jaw in contact with the tool is idle, the stop at the outer end of the saddle being distant from the back of t-he movable jaw when the tool is idle and engaging the back of the movable jaw when pressure for releasing the tool is exerted on the back of the inner end of the movable Jaw.

2. A wrench comprising a fixed jaw, a movable jaw, a one piece dog articulately connected directly to said fixed jaw and rotatable about an `axis fixed relatively to the fixed jaw, said dog and movable jaw having coperating ratchet teeth, a saddle rigidly fastened to the fixed jaw and arching behind the back of the movable aw, said saddle having stops at its inner and outer ends, a rest for the movable jaw at the outer. end of the fixed jaw, and a spring placed between the dog and the fixed jaw, said spring, when the tool is idle, holding the movable jaw in contact with said rest and in contact with the stop at the inner end of the saddle, said rest being outwardly disposed from the axis of the dog whereby the movable i jaw leaves said rest when it rotates in unison with the dog away from idle position, the stop at the outer end of the saddle being enlarged appreciably behind the back of the movable jaw when the tool is at rest, the stop at the outer end of the saddle engaging the back of the movable j aw when pressure for releasing the tool is exerted on the back of the inner end of the movable j aw.

3. A wrench comprising a fixed jaw, a movable jaw, a one piece dog articulately connected directly to said fixed jaw and rotatable about a fixed point thereon, said dog and movable jaw having coperating ratchet teeth, a saddle rigidly fastened to the fixed jaw and arching over the back of the movable jaw, said saddle being smaller at the outer end than at the inner end and having two stops one at the outer end and one at the inner end for engaging the back or" the fixed jaw, and a-spring interposed between the dog and the fixed j aw and holding the movable jaw in contact with the stop at the inner end of the saddle when the tool is idle, the stop at the outer end of the saddle being remote from the back of the movable jaw when the tool is idle and engaging the scribed my name in the presence of two Witbalck of the;1 movable jaw Wien pIlessiu'ekfoi` nesses. re easin t e tool is exerte on t e ac 0 the innegiq end of the movable jaw, said dog ALFRED E' HOLMES' 5 having ears on both sides projecting beyond Witnesses:

the sides of the movable jaw. HOWARD M. Cox,

in Witness Whereoh have hereunto sub- M. S. ROSENZWEIG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for iive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

